How Shakisso Coffee from Sidamo Originated and Sidamo Coffee Bean Grading System

Regional Introduction

Shakisso sits in the Guji zone of Sidamo, in the southern part of the Oromia region, bordering Sidama and Gedeo. The area is dotted with old mine pits from gold mining, leaving countless holes across the coffee-growing land and making it risky to walk through the plantations. Shakisso stands out as a distinctive growing region within Guji and Sidamo; even within Sidamo it is remote and far from most coffee-producing locations, and gold mining is the region's other famous product. Factors such as miners, land, and ethnic tensions also made the area unstable in 2006. The region's greatest challenge today is finding the manpower to tend the plantations and harvest the coffee.

Local smallholders here began growing organic coffee in 2001, working closely with medium-sized producers experienced in highland forest coffee. That makes Shakisso one of the most distinctive micro-regions within Sidamo. Coffee from here has considerable uniqueness and has repeatedly drawn market attention. The legendary Ninety Plus bean "Nekisse" originally means "Nectar from Shakisso," with both its origin and name drawn from Shakisso.

Flavor Description

Lemon and citrus, bright and crisp acidity, lemon, citrus, white grape juice, blackcurrant, with Earl Grey tea notes in the finish.

Coffee Bean Grading System

Coffee beans from Indonesia and Africa use a grading system based on defect-bean ratios. Indonesian beans are mainly divided into 6 grades, G1 to G6. For washed coffee the highest grades are G1 and G2; for natural-processed coffee the highest grades are G1 and G3.

What does this mean? As follows:

Washed: Grade-1; Grade-2 (G1 > G2)

Natural: Grade-1 and Grade-3 - Grade-5 (G1 > G3 > G4 > G5)

Important Notes

a) Whether washed or natural, both can be Grade-1 if they meet the criteria of "zero" defects and a Premium Cup. In either case, Grade-1 is a rating reserved for the best specialty coffees or Cup of Excellence coffees.

b) The lowest grade for natural Yirgacheffe and Sidamo is Grade-4.

c) Beans of the same grade, such as Limu Grade-2, can be either good or bad, depending on the exporter's sorting standards and investment.

d) Given the current "zero" defect requirement, Grade-1 beans (washed or natural) are extremely rare, because processing costs are very high and few suppliers take on this grade.

Product Information

Ingredients: In-house roasted

Shelf life: 90 days

Net weight: 227g

Packaging: Bulk coffee beans

Roast level: Roasted coffee beans

Sugar content: Sugar-free

Origin: Ethiopia

Coffee type: Other

Roast degree: Light roast

Ethiopian Sidamo Shakisso Washed

Country: Ethiopia

Grade: G1

Region: Shakisso growing area, Guji Zone

Roast degree: Light roast

Processing method: Washed

Washed coffee is less likely to carry wild characteristics, offering pure and refreshing qualities, and suits City to Full City roast levels. Some exceptionally high-quality Ethiopian washed beans can reveal distinct, uplifting lemon, citrus essential oils, jasmine florals, and honey, with more pronounced acidity and a lighter body.

Brewing Instructions

Hand-pour Sidamo. 15g of coffee, medium-fine grind (small Fuji ghost-tooth grinder setting 3.5), V60 dripper, water temperature 91-93°C. First pour 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

About Ethiopian Sidamo

"Ethiopian Sidamo" is a single-origin type, Arabica coffee grown in Ethiopia's Sidamo province. Like most African coffees, Ethiopian Sidamo has small, grayish beans, but its distinguishing features are rich, spice-like, wine-like, or chocolate-like flavors with floral notes. The most characteristic flavors found in all Sidamo coffees are lemon and citrus with a bright, crisp acidity. Sidamo coffee includes Yirgacheffe and Guji coffees, both of excellent quality.

Coffee Details

Variety: Local indigenous Heirloom

Producer: Local small farmers

Flavor: White grape juice, citrus, Earl Grey tea notes

Sidamo Region

Sidamo coffee flavors vary widely because of different soil compositions, regional microclimates, and countless indigenous coffee varieties, producing significant differences and characteristics from every town area. The Sidamo growing region lies in southern Ethiopia. Agriculture dominates the local economy, with coffee growing areas around the East African Rift Valley.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

To enjoy this clean, washed Sidamo style at home, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe is a fine starting point: it delivers the clear jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity that define the region, with a light, elegant body and a tea-like sensation, like a crisp, clean lemon tea. It is the classic everyday bean that shows how transparent an Ethiopian washed coffee can be.

For another slice of Sidamo, look to FrontStreet Coffee's Hamesha (Hamasho) natural from the Hamasho processing plant. A regular on Ethiopian green-bean competition winner lists thanks to its excellent quality and distinctive flavor, its coffee is mainly built on the JARC 74-series disease-resistant varieties, and the 74158 lot has especially small beans and striking floral and fruity aromas. Expect sweet scents of perfume lemon, strawberry, and star fruit, with clear strawberry, star fruit, and green grape sweetness on the palate and a floral note emerging behind them.

If you want to go deeper into Ethiopia's origins, FrontStreet Coffee's Kafa Forest coffee is grown between 1400 and 2100 meters in a shaded, wild, red-soil rainforest setting and given a medium-light roast: ground, it shows clear white florals, and in the cup a bright lemon acidity with sweet orange and bergamot, a light melon-and-nut sweetness on the finish, and a green-tea-like body.